Everyone knows loft insulation can make your home more energy efficient and save you money. But did you know there’s a government scheme set to expire soon, and will you plug those drafts before it’s too late?
There’s a neglected place in my home where I should spend more time, devote some money and attention. But when it’s hot and when I can find anything else to do, I keep away.
Where is this place? It’s the loft. Where a couple of decades-worth of rubbish (aka stuff-that-we-may-want-one-day) has been dumped. Most of it is squeezed around the loft hatch, and the temporary light that we’ve rigged up means that I do not dare teeter further into the dark roof space, especially as I’m likely to put my foot through a ceiling.
How can loft insulation save you money?
But I really, really should go up there because I keep thinking that insulating that loft is becoming more of a priority. We are being bombarded with messages from the government and the energy industry about how we should insulate. And loft insulation, they say, is one of the cheapest and best ways to help cut down on energy bills.
Even if you have some loft insulation already you may have less than the recommended minimum of 270mm, so it would be worth a ‘top up’.
The warnings are right. Loft insulation could help save you up to £150 a year if you don’t already have any – and there are some great deals around at the moment.
The Big Six energy companies are offering discounts with installation costs starting from around £100 and the DIY shops are charging as little as £1 per square metre for insulation. Also, if you’re over 70 or receiving certain benefits you may even get it for free.
Get in quick before the deals are gone
Too good to be true? Not really, because we’re already paying for it! A government scheme called the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) makes us pay around £45 via our energy bills each year. This money is then used by energy companies to help provide cheaper insulation.
CERT finishes at the end of next year and so we should all get in quick while these good deals are around. And you don’t even need to use the energy company that supplies with your energy so you can shop around.
So now I’ve decided that I really, really am going to make the effort this summer. I’m preparing myself to venture up there and try and move my pile of ‘beloved mementos’.
The bin bags filled with clothes that I will never ever squeeze into again; the once hi-tech tape recorder covered in dust; and the bag of baby stuff with the expensive sheep skin which was accidently put in the tumble drier – not by me!
The benefit may be a winter where I don’t have to heat up so much fresh air and keep more heat inside my house. So it really is a win-win. Now all I have to do is fix the pole and hook so I can pull down the loft ladders and actually get up there…